The president announced that we were “turning the page” on Operation Freedom; but what he failed to do was close the book.

by Monika Maslikowski & Z.S. Justus As observers of Al-Qa’ida’s media strategy we notice a trend in their communication: When a conflict around the world involving a Muslim country heats ups, AQ leadership is quick to jump on the opportunity to provide analysis, encouragement, or criticism for the actions of players on the ground. In [...]

by Steven R. Corman I remember arriving in Karlsruhe, Germany on March 17, 2003.  It was two days before the Iraq invasion.  I didn’t know the date certain of the invasion, of course, but I knew for certain it was coming.  I was quite worried (needlessly, as it turns out) about how I would be [...]

by Steven R. Corman During my usual media grazing I ran across an article published yesterday in Aljazeera Magazine by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, in the “reviews” section. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be reviewing, but on the surface it has something to do with language and the word “islamofascism,” and I am on record [...]

by Clint Martinez What happens if we leave Iraq? From what I gather, and believe in, Iraq will eventually serve as place that comes of out darkness and stands as a light of democracy to the world. A free will Iraq will show the Middle East and the world that the masses can install a [...]

or Deconstructing John McCain  by Matthew B. Morris  John McCain gave what was billed as a major foreign policy speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on March 26. In the speech he described himself as a “realistic idealist:” I am an idealist, and I believe it is possible in our time to make the [...]

by Matthew B. Morris Al Jazeera broadcast another message from Osama bin Laden today. If confirmed as authentic, this is the second message from bin Laden in the last two days. Although the translation is not yet available, the message is another call on Muslims to support Palestinians by fighting in Iraq, and apparently makes [...]

by Bud Goodall In a New York Times article today entitled “Violence Leaves Young Iraqis Doubting Clerics,” evidence gathered by investigative reporters on the scene strongly indicates that the appeal of violent extremism may be waning. Are we at a new “tipping point?” Reasons given in the article for believing we may be at a [...]

by Steven R. Corman In today’s New York Times, General Charles Dunlap Jr. argues that the Army’s new counterinsurgency manual is being misinterpreted and that we must deal with insurgents the old-fashioned way–by killing them: Unfortunately, starry-eyed enthusiasts have misread the manual to say that defeating an insurgency is all about winning hearts and minds [...]

CSC friend Matt Armstrong a.k.a. Mountainrunner has a new post at Small Wars Journal about the importance of capitalizing on recent gains in Iraq by following through with success in the reconstuction effort: The U.S. needs to take a systematic, holistic “whole of government” approach to reconstruction and stabilization that puts the focus on meeting [...]